


Flight

by JRCash



Series: Gingerpilot Modern AU [3]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015)
Genre: Airplanes, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Established Relationship, Fluff, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-15
Updated: 2017-05-15
Packaged: 2018-10-31 23:39:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,657
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10909821
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JRCash/pseuds/JRCash
Summary: Poe surprises Hux with a ride in an airplane.  Modern AU.





	Flight

Poe was the very definition of a damn good pilot in the skies, exhibiting nothing but grace while airborne.  On the ground, he was the exact opposite. Hux watched from the couch as Poe exited their bedroom while pulling a shirt on over his head. With the fabric obstructing his vision, his shoulder bumped directly into the door frame with a loud thunk. 

 

“Ouch” Poe mumbled as he pulled the rest of his shirt on, still not paying any attention to where he was going.  A pair of boots he had kicked off haphazardly the night before lay in the middle of the living room.  As he tucked his shirt into his pants, more focused on the task at hand than where he was going, Poe ungracefully stumbled over the wayward pair of shoes.  

 

Amused at watching the walking disaster that was his boyfriend, Hux chided from the couch as Poe stumbled slightly.  “And you wonder why I remind you to put things away in their proper places”.   

 

“I’m just gonna put ‘em back on anyways” Poe laughed as he reached down to pick up the pair of brown boots that had gotten in his way.   

 

“It’s a wonder you are still alive”.

* * *

 

As they walked down the flight of stairs to the street, Poe tripped over his own feet twice, catching himself on the handrail before any real damage to himself could be done.  Hux followed a few steps behind wondering why Poe was so giddy that morning, his extra clumsiness a dead giveaway that he had something planned for the day up his sleeve.    

 

“Where are we going?” Hux asked as they neared his black Lexus parked on the street.  He’d gone along with Poe that morning, trying to not ask too many questions in order to not ruin his boyfriend’s good mood.  Whatever it was, he seemed intent on keeping it a surprise.    

 

“Just give me the keys” Poe retorted as he rounded the bumper to the driver’s side.  He knew if he could just get Hux into the car, everything else in his plan would go as needed.  Getting the rigid man to to do anything that wasn’t scheduled or discussed prior was enough of a challenge and Poe was already proud he had gotten Hux this far without a barrage of questions.  

 

Hux grasped his key ring firmly in his hand. He never let anyone drive his beloved car.  Poe was the one expectation to his rule, even if it usually meant he needed to have it detailed afterwards. 

 

“You know I hate surprises, but fine” Hux conceded as he tossed his keys over. Poe clicked the buttons as soon as the fob was in his palm, causing the car to honk twice and unlock as he excitedly hopped into the driver's side.

 

Hux begrudgingly slid into the passengers side as Poe started the engine.  He had no idea where they were going, the very thought of taking off with no destination in mind made him uncomfortable.  Yet as Poe eased his Lexus out of the parking space, he sat back and decided whatever his boyfriend had planned was going to be worth it.

* * *

   


Almost an hour later, they were well out of the city and into the gently rolling countryside.  Hux grimaced as Poe turned down a narrow road, the pavement rough and uneven causing the car to bump along.  A large airfield stretched out before them, various types of small aircraft dotting the landscape. 

 

“You're taking me flying?” Hux asked as he surveyed the tiny airport they were approaching.  

 

“You always said you wanted to” Poe replied cheerfully as he parked near the main hangar. “And since the FAA won't let me take you to work with me, I figured why not take you up privately?” 

 

Hux couldn't help to smile. He was no stranger to flying in a conventional manner. Frequent business trips sent him all over the country, but always as just a passenger in first class.  He’d never been in a personal aircraft, let alone flown with Poe as his pilot.

 

As they approached the rented Cessna, Hux couldn’t help to think of how  _ tiny _ the aircraft was.  It seemed rickety up close and his palms began to sweat at the thought that they would soon be thousands of feet up into the air in essentially a tin can.  He kept thinking of news stories he’d heard over the years about small planes crashing into cornfields or into the sides of mountains.  Taking a deep breath, he reminded himself that Poe flew for a living in aircraft much, much larger than the one before him now and everything would be fine.        

Hux climbed into the plane.  He practically had to fold his knees to his chest in order to fit into the cramped seat next to the pilot's chair. The engines were already idling as he watched Poe and a member of the airport’s ground crew finish the last of the required preflight checks before parting ways.  Any of Poe’s usual clumsiness on the ground seemed to disappear as soon as he was near an aircraft.  His steps were even as he gently ran his hand over the side of the plane as he opened the door to climb aboard.   

 

Poe settled into the pilot’s seat, taking down a set of headsets that hung from a hook above them. With a practiced ease, he placed the headset on, passing the other to Hux. As gently as he tried to place the headset on, Hux’s hair still got messed up, much to his dismay.  It felt clunky and unnatural on him, yet when he looked over in Poe’s direction, his seemed to be an extension of his own self. 

 

“You okay?” Poe asked as he flipped a few switches on the control panel and adjusted the microphone on his headset against his cheek.  

 

Hux nodded silently.  He wasn’t sure if he was okay or not.  His stomach churned in a mixture of nerves and excitement as he tried to keep his expression flat.  He knew Poe loved flying and he was every bit as curious to experience joy from it, if he could first get past his own apprehensiveness.          

 

Working the controls, Poe guided the small plane forward before turning towards the long strip of flat grass that cut through the center of the airfield. Stopping at the edge, Poe radioed to the tower. 

 

“Cessna one zero seven echo tango requesting permission for takeoff” Poe said clearly into the microphone.  

 

The transmission echoed through Hux’s headset as he tried to make sense of it all. It was a foreign language to him, one he had never heard Poe speak before.    

 

“Left to zero niner zero. Cleared for takeoff, seven echo tango” a voiced radioed back. 

 

Hux understood enough of the reply that soon they would be airborne. His fingers gripped the edge of his seat, his nails digging into the faded fabric as he felt the plane begin to move.  Suddenly the looming aspect of taking off down a unpaved runway in a small plane that barely fit the two of them, Hux wanted to throw up.

 

It was too late now to protest.  Hux swallowed, a bitter taste in his mouth as the plane quickly picked up speed as it bumped across the grass.  Poe dropped one of his hands from the controls, unhinging one of Hux’s hands from the side of the seat cushion, allowing him to wrap his fingers around Hux’s.

 

Hux wanted to yell at Poe that he was completely reckless piloting an aircraft with a single hand yet his touch was calming and he kept quiet.  He was pretty sure his stomach had somehow worked its way into his throat anyhow, rendering him unable to speak even if he tried to do so.   The plane quickly gained altitude before easily banking to the right.  The shift gave Hux a clear view of the countryside spread out below them, his fingers relaxing between Poe’s as they climbed higher into the sky.  

 

“It’s kind of pretty, huh?”  Poe asked as he leveled out at cruising altitude.  

 

Hux watched out the window as the fields and forests below them passed by.  He tried looking for landmarks he might recognize to place exactly where they were flying over, but failed to find any he knew.  Everything below them was a wash of greens and browns.  Poe’s hand still held his as the plane smoothly cut through a cloud and continued on.  Hux began to relax completely as he looked over at Poe who seemed to be in a state of complete contentment.  This was his boyfriend’s element, a look of absolute joy on his face as he looked back at him.      

 

“It’s nice.  I can see why you like this so much” Hux commented, his previous feelings of nervousness washing away as he allowed himself to truly enjoy the flight.    

 

Poe nodded.  He knew he was walking disaster on ground, living for moments like this in the air where he felt like he was in total control of himself.  It was only better now that he was sharing the experience with Hux.  Glancing back to the control panel for a moment, he flicked a switch, setting the plane onto autopilot.  

 

“I love you” Poe said as he let go of the controls and reached over Hux’s lap for his other hand.  

 

Hux momentarily flinched at the fact Poe wasn’t controlling the plane at all, but calmed again when he realized Poe had everything under control and they weren’t about to plummet from the sky. He grasped Poe’s free hand and leaned in closer, placing a kiss against Poe’s lips.  

 

“I love you too” Hux murmured.  He’d never kissed anyone at 12,000 feet in the air.  Breaking from the kiss, he sat back slightly, still holding onto Poe’s hands.  “I’m glad you got me to do this”.                      

  
  
  
  


**Author's Note:**

> I know nothing about actually flying a plane or making these two nerds be anything but fluffy with one another. I disgust myself.


End file.
